1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an eccentric gear for a tattooing machine wherein the depth of throw of the needle is adjustable by the operator via the eccentric gear.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In recent years, tattooing has come into the main stream. No longer relegated to bikers and sailors on leave, tattoos are a popular form of self-expression in middle class America. A tattooed body has gained acceptance among “normal” people.
Essentially human tattooing involves one or more needles that repeatedly penetrate a person's skin, depositing a bit of ink with each penetration. A handle held tattooing machine uses a motor that reciprocates the needle arrangement up and down in order to perform the penetration strokes. The up and down stroke distance of the needle arrangement, the throw, is variable depending on the type of inking stroke being performed. In modern tattooing, there are three main inking strokes, namely outline, shading, and coloring. Each type of stroke requires a different configuration for the tattoo machine. In performing outlining, a single needle is typically used. As only a single needle is being used to penetrate the skin, the throw need not be great in order to achieve proper skin depth penetration of the needle. The next type of stroke is outlining wherein a set of multiple needles are used. As multiple needles are being used to simultaneously penetrate the skin, the throw given by the machine needs to be greater than the throw used for one needle outlining strokes in order to achieve proper skin penetration by the needles. The last type of stroke is the coloring stroke wherein multiple needles in a greater number than the number of needles used for shading, are used. As an even greater number of needles is being used penetrate the skin, the throw needs to be greater than the throw used for shading strokes in order to achieve proper skin penetration by the needles.
In order to change the needle throw for a particular type of stroke, the tattoo machine must be adjusted. This adjustment involves resetting the springs used to hold the armature bar of the machine and the process is extremely time-consuming and frustrating, especially if it must be performed multiple times for a single tattoo job, especially considering the fact that each adjustment must be made with a high degree of precision in order to achieve the proper throw for the stroke to be performed. Having an incorrect throw for a given pass can result in a highly substandard ink application and a highly irate customer. As such, many tattoo artists simply have three tattoo machines at the ready for each job, one adjusted for outlining strokes, one for shading strokes, and one for coloring strokes. Having three separate machines available eliminates the need for on the fly adjustments and speeds up the overall process. However, this arrangement is costly in that three machines need to be purchased and maintained and cleaned after each job.
What is needed is a tattoo machine wherein the needle throw can be adjusted as needed for the particular type of stroke to be performed. Such a device must allow for rapid and easy throw adjustment that allows the throw to be set with a high degree of precision.